'He Who Owns The Navy, Owns The Sea'

By A Draft Correspondent

On 17 May 2023, hundreds of naval personnel, veterans, academicians and history enthusiasts gathered at the Mulla Auditorium at Navy Nagar in Colaba, Mumbai. This time around, it was for a proud cause. It was to hear a talk on 'The Inception Of Maratha Navy' and, that too, one delivered by Guest Speaker VAdm M S Pawar PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd). And, anyone who had heard VAdm Pawar would vouch for his knowledge on the subject and hearing him speak in person, was a rare delight. 

The event was the Maritime History Society's (MHS) 45th Founder's Day Commemorative Lecture 2023, the Chief Guest of the occasion, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command VAdm Dinesh Tripathi AVSM, NM, gave the keynote address.

VAdm M S Pawar (Retd) delivered a talk on 'The Inception Of Maratha Navy'

And then, for about 90 minutes, VAdm MS Pawar (Retd) spoke with colourful interjections on how Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded the indigenous naval establishment called Maratha Armar to fight the myriad challenges posed by the colonial powers of the time. He elaborated on the history of the rise of the Maratha Navy in the pre-colonial period, its interaction with the European maritime powers and the various operations undertaken by the Maratha Armar including the constant engagements with Mughals, Siddis, Dutch, French and Sawants. 

VAdm Pawar detailed the importance of sea and sea control and the significance of maritime power, quoting Shivaji Maharaj's words 'He Who Owns The Navy, Owns The Sea.' In the legendary Battle of Basrur (1665) against the Portuguese, Shivaji executed a surprise midnight attack, a naval raid, defeating the enemy and unfurling the Zari Patka at Basrur.

The talk highlighted the many achievements of the Maratha Navy

Speaking of the significance of Maratha Navy, he recalled the day when Indian Navy’s new Ensign (Flag), bearing the octagonal seal of Maratha Navy, was unveiled by PM Narendra Modi at the commissioning of INS Vikrant in Kochi in September 2022. The Maratha naval seal was unique as it was the first to have an inscription in Sanskrit. Then, most seals were inscribed in Persian, he said. It was a bold nationalist move at a time when foreign powers were at a peak.

He also narrated the incident when a young Shivaji delivered justice even declared the Patil of Ranjhe village 'guilty' for misbehaving  with a woman . He further elucidated how despite overwhelming challenges such as lack of coastline, shipbuilding technology, dry docks, maintenance facilities, finances, skilled human resources, etc., Shivaji Maharaj managed to build an enviable naval fleet.

Venkatesh Rangan talking about his book during the event

The commemorative lecture was followed by release of Venkatesh Rangan's book ‘Bharat’s Military Conquests in Foreign Lands (900 BCE - 1680 CE): Indian Military Operations and Expeditions from the Mediterranean to the Pacific’. The author is a banker by profession and an Indian history researcher. The book focuses on the history of dynastic and native naval military operations for 3,000 years through eleven operations in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, South China Sea, parts of Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region. 

An academic initiative of the Western Naval Command, conceptualised and founded by Late Vice Adm Manohar Prahlad Awati, MHS is a premier research institution in the field of maritime history. It runs a functional interim heritage gallery which houses priceless artefacts of maritime historical importance. The Founder’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of Maritime History Society on 12 May 1978.

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